The Snow Queen and the Mirror
by Unironicdokis
Summary: "It was all Anna's fault really... because once you open your door to one person, anyone can come in." Rather than Hans turning out to be the villain, Anna's act of true love is saving Elsa from the people convinced of Elsa's "sorcery". Anna is with Kristoff, Elsa has a kingdom to run, and Hans isn't quite sure what to do anymore. Good guy Hans AU. Or is it?
1. Chapter 1: The Balcony

_"It was all Marcus' fault really...  
because once you open your door to one person, anyone can come in."  
- **About a Boy,** __based on the book by Nick Hornby_

Elsa had snuck off to the balcony and shut the doors behind her, hoping to momentarily escape being swamped by her advisors and other political officials who had been hounding her since the Arendelle castle gates had been reopened.

She sighed with relief, leaning against the closed doors. "Thank goodness."

"You would think the new Queen of Arendelle would be busier."

"Prince Hans!" She nearly jumped with surprise. "I apologize, I didn't expect anyone to be out here."

"Oh, it's alright." He was sitting on the balcony ledge, smiling at her. However, he stood up to scrutinize her more closely. "Not hiding, are you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What? No, no don't be ridiculous," she said, attempting to sound casual. "I just... needed a break, that's all." But she heard loud footsteps coming from the other side of the door and squeaked, in her panic freezing a layer of ice over the door, particularly over the handle in an attempt to seal it shut.

"Uh-uh." He gave her a skeptical look. "Queen Elsa, not to be disrespectful to the ruler of Arendelle, the gracious host of what has been my home for the past few days, and the wielder of potentially deadly ice powers, but I'm afraid you're a terrible liar."

She gave a small sheepish laugh. "Guess I'll have to work on that. Look, can I just stay out here with you for a little while? I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed right now."

"Of course. I understand."

They sat together in silence. Hans turned to admire the city and the glittering lake as the moonlight shone upon the landscape. "Wow," he breathed. "Look at the view."

"It is beautiful," she agreed.

He sighed. "I sure am going to miss this place when I leave tomorrow."

"Leaving so soon?" she asked, the disappointment apparent in her voice.

"I'll be gone first thing in the morning. Besides..." He smiled half-heartedly. "I'm sure I've way outstayed my welcome by now."

"No! Not at all!" she insisted profusely. "You've been wonderful. You know..." She dropped her gaze down to her feet, avoiding his eyes. "We... I... never properly thanked you for how much you've done for us. For Arandelle."

"Your hospitality has been more than enough to show your thanks," said Hans graciously.

"Well, you're welcome to stay as long as you need before you decide go head back home," offered Elsa. "And you're welcome to come back and visit whenever you like."

"Thank you. One can only handle being with thirteen brothers for so long before they get sick of it."

She laughed, and he chimed in as well upon hearing her reaction.

His expression then grew solemn. "They probably didn't even notice I was gone." He sighed, turning once more to face the balcony view. "I was hoping I could build myself a future here, you know?" he confessed. "I'd finally have a place of my own where I'd actually belong."

"Sometimes, things don't work out the way we expect them too," said Elsa.

He didn't answer.

"Think about it this way. If it weren't for you and Anna, then I would never have decided to open the gates."

Hans ignored her. "Kristoff seems like a nice guy."

"He is. I mean, he's a little rough around the edges," she admitted. "But he's a good guy."

"I'm glad to hear that."

She shrugged, sighing. "And he makes her happy, so that's what matters."

"Well, Anna's not the only one who seems happier," he said, giving Elsa a pointed look.

She nodded. "I'm working on it. I feel much better than before."

"The new look says it all. I mean, look at you now. You're a vision!" he said with admiration.

She smiled bashfully, her eyes carefully averted toward the ground. "Thank you."

"Now isn't this much better then staying locked up in your room all day?"

"Yes," she mused. "I daresay it is... I... I feel free."

There was an abrupt knock on the door, startling them both. "Queen Elsa?" a muffled voice called from the other side.

"About as free as the ruler of a country gets anyway," muttered Hans.

The doorknob rattled, but the ice did not give way. A voice came from the other side of the door. "I don't remember there being a lock on this door."

"I guess I'd better go," said Elsa. "Honestly I expected them to find me a lot sooner than they did."

Hans stood up and bowed. "Sorry to cut into your leisure time, Queen Elsa. I'm sure you probably would have preferred to have the time to yourself during your 'break'."

"Oh no, you've been excellent company," she reassured him, standing up. However, the knocking ceased before she could open the door.

"They'll probably be back," said Hans. "You should probably go before they do, if you want to give 'em the slip."

Her eyes widened. "A-are you sure?"

"Sure, I'll cover for you."

"But wouldn't that be irresponsible of me?" she asked warily.

He shrugged. "Maybe. All I'm saying is that it's not wrong to need a break once in a while."

Elsa took a deep breath. "Alright." With a wave of her hand, she conjured up a set of steps made of snow heading down from the balcony. She climbed over the ledge, the snow freezing into solid ice as she set foot upon them.

Before leaving, she turned to face him. "Hans?" Their eyes met. She nodded, smiling gratefully. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"I was never here," she said pointedly.

"As you wish."

"Elsa!" The knocking was back, this time louder than before. "Elsa! I know you're in there!" The voice unmistakably belonged to Anna.

"Go," he mouthed.

She smiled at him, biting her lip."Bye." She gave him a small wave which he returned, and in one swift movement, she unfroze the ice upon the door then rushed down the steps, and was gone from sight.

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**I'll probably continue this. Hope you enjoyed, please read and review**


	2. Chapter 2: Preparations

**A/N: Im sorry, I'm such a slow writer.**

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"Yes, that's perfect. Thank you. I'm sure any decision you make, it will look great. I trust your judgement."

"Do you always oversee every little thing when it comes to stuff like this?" asked Hans.

"I do when my cousin is coming down to visit," said Elsa apprehensively. She hadn't noticed him approaching her, but she didn't turn to look at him. "Actually," she said, addressing one of her staff. "Keep the curtains open. The full moon is out tonight."

"Anxious?"

"You have no idea."

"I'm sure everything will be great, don't worry."

"Thanks. This is the first time we've done anything like this since the coronation, and that was when I tried to keep my interactions with people as little as possible."

"And now?" he asked.

She sighed. "Now it's people themselves that scare me more than the fear of hurting them. Everybody looks to me for answers. It's terrifying."

"I've heard that's a thing that happens when you're placed in a position of authority," said Hans with an amused grin.

She began pacing around the enormous hall, making minor tweaks and adjustments to whatever she felt needed correcting. Fix the tablecloth here. Move the flowers there. Switch around the placement of the different desserts. She seemed extremely scatterbrained.

"Do you think the orchestra would look better in the far left corner or in the center back of the room?" she asked him.

"Far left, definitely."

"Hm... That's what I was thinking." She looked around again. "Alright," she muttered to herself, "so the tables to the right and the food goes over there against the wall and the band..."

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"Fine. Absolutely fine, what would make you think otherwise?"

He gestured to the ceiling. "You're making it snow."

She looked up to see that she was right. Little snowflakes were falling slowly from the ceiling and down into the hall around them. She shook her head, and the snow dissipated into the air. "I'm a little anxious, is all."

"Your majesty, not that I'm in a position to tell you what to do, but I think you need to relax."

"But I have to oversee everything to make sure—"

"Go. Relax," insisted Hans. "I'll take care of everything."

"Oh no," she shook her head. "I couldn't possibly—"

"It's not a problem. Besides," he grinned. "I got you covered, remember?"

She bit her lip. "Are you sure?"

"Queen Elsa, I swear to attend any and every issue that arises personally if that is required of me. Everything will be fine. Have a little trust."

_Have a little trust_. "Alright," she finally agreed.

"There we go. Now go, get out of here before I change my mind," he said, laughing.

She smiled before at last leaving the planning in his hands.

—

"Really I don't know why you're wearing the dark one. Your blue dress is so nice."

"Well yes, but I wear it all the time," said Elsa reasonably, looking over her reflection in the mirror. "People will start to think I only have one outfit."

"Yeah, but that one is so dark and drab," said Anna, rolling over on her bed from her back and onto her stomach.

"Stop that, you're going to wrinkle your dress," Elsa chastised her, turning to look at her disapprovingly.

"Fine, but I get to pick something else for you to wear."

She sighed. "Alright."

Anna giggled in pleasure, getting up from bed, pulling a green dress out of the wardrobe and holding it out to her sister.

Elsa wrinkled her nose and shook her head.

"You said I could choose," said Anna, pouting.

"I did. Choose something else."

"Fine, fine," she grumbled. She rummaged around for a bit for deciding on a purple dress with blue trim. "What about this?"

"That one's nice."

She threw it at Elsa, which she caught, even in her surprise. "Anna!" she scolded.

"Sorry, sorry." She could see that Elsa was smiling, and she grinned back. "Go get changed."

She left to change into the dress. Anna hummed to herself while she waited.

A moment later she was back, wearing the dress. "What do you think?"

Anna nodded in approval. "See? So much better than that drab piece your were going to wear." She crossed her arms. "I have pretty great taste, don't you agree?"

She rolled her eyes. "Just help me with my hair." She sad down in front of the mirror, giving Anna an expectant look.

"What's the point? By the end of the night it always comes undone." Nevertheless, she went to work at putting Elsa's hair up in a twist.

"Anna?" She winced as she felt the hair pulling at her scalp.

"Mhm? Hold still."

"Where's Kristoff. I haven't see him all day." She winced again. "Stop tugging."

"I'm trying, ok? Anyways, He's probably hiding in his room. You know how he is. He's having a little trouble adapting to castle life."

"Poor thing."

Anna shrugged. "Oh, I'll probably drag him out later. I know he's not necessarily a people person, but a little exposure would do him some good."

"Oh, let him be."

"He won't have to stay the whole time. Don't tell me how to run my love life, and I won't tell you how to run yours.

Elsa raised her eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

She grinned slyly. "I know you were with Hans on the balcony the other day."

"What? Anna don't be ridiculous," said Elsa, attempting to sound dismissive.

"That balcony door doesn't have a lock."

She shrugged.

"Elsa, the door was ice cold."

"Well, that could have been anything. You know how the weather has been lately; nights have been so chilly."

"Elsa."

"What?"

"I really don't mind. Hans isn't a bad guy, and I think you could benefit from making a friend."

"I have friends," said Elsa defensively.

"Olaf and Kristoff don't count."

"Why not?"

"Olaf is a snowman, and the only reason you're friends with Kristoff is because he's with me."

"I have other friends."

"Oh yeah?" said Anna skeptically. "Name one."

"... Cousin Rapunzel?"

She laughed. For a moment, they sat in silence. "You know, he's an absolute sweetheart."

"I know."

"And completely gorgeous."

"Anna!"

"So you agree?"

"Anna," Elsa said again, this time not with surprise but almost warningly.

Anna ignored this. "Don't 'Anna' me, you know it's true."

"Well on that basis alone, are you going to try and set me up with every attractive gentleman who sets foot in Arandelle?"

"No." She pursed her lips, surpressing a smile. "Just him. Although that does sound like something not far out of character for me."

"You are ridiculous."

"I'm your sister. It's what I do."

"You know, I don't have to be in a relationship to be happy," Elsa reminded her.

"I know. But it's fun to pester you about it. That's finally something I can do, let me have it."

"Ok, ok. You know, guilt tripping me into allowing you to bug me under the guise of sisterly love is kind of sketchy."

"I know," she said, sounding pleased with herself. "There." She sighed in satisfaction. "Finished."

Elsa turned her head back and forth, examining her reflection. "It looks nice."

"Thanks." She beamed.

"No, really. I love it." She stood up, doing a little twirl in place.

"You are now the most beautiful woman in all of Arandelle. Now, will you trust my judgement?"

"From now on, I trust everything you say. But only when it comes to fashion, Miss 'Marry-The-Guy-I've-Known-For-One-Day."

"Hey, that was a low blow," said Anna.

She giggled, concealing it behind her hand.

"In my defense, he was a really good dancer."

They laughed in unison.

"I think he likes you."

"And I think you're wrong," insisted Elsa.

"You never know."

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Are you going to dance with him tonight?" asked Anna.

"Maybe. If he asks me." She smiled momentarily before readjusting her composure. Despite the amount of progress she had made since the end of the eternal winter, she still wasn't keen on a lot of physical contact with others. Anna was the exception rather than the rule

"I saw that."

"He's nearly a stranger," Elsa reminded her matter-of-factly.

"That can be changed given some time," Anna reminded Elsa.

She sighed. "Anna, I just don't think I could be in a relationship right now even if I wanted one."

"How come? Too scared?"

She shook her head. "Too busy." Elsa took Anna's hand in hers, leading her out of the room. "Come on, we'll be opening the gates soon."

"Alright, but just try to have a good time tonight, ok? You worry too much."

"I'll try, but only as long as you don't meddle."

"I make no promises," she said mischievously. She ran off ahead of Elsa. "Race you to the the front gate!" she called.

Elsa laughed, running to catch up with her younger sister.

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**Sorry, not too much Helsa this will be definitely be more next chapter, that's when the actual ball will be.**


	3. Chapter 3: Distractions

**A/N: I am a cliche and for that, I apologize.**

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"I don't see why I have to be here," grumbled Kristoff, tugging at the collar of his shirt.

"Stop fidgeting," said Anna. "You look great, ok?"

He pouted. "I don't like being without Sven."

"How do you think people would react to seeing a reindeer standing in the middle of the ballroom? It's only for a little while."

He muttered something incoherent under his breath. Elsa chuckled quietly, and Kristoff gave her an awkward smile. The orchestra struck up a new chord, this time much more upbeat than the last.

"Oh, this is a good song!" said Anna. "Come dance with me." She tugged on Kristoff's arm.

"No, no." He shook his head fervently.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" she insisted.

"Anna, I can't dance," confessed Kristoff.

Nevertheless, Anna managed to drag Kristoff to the middle of the ballroom floor. Kristoff looked back at Elsa with a pleading look in his eye. She merely waved in return.

Elsa could hardly call whatever Anna and Kristoff were doing dancing. Kristoff wasn't lying about not knowing how to dance, and Anna's clumsiness would sometimes trip her up; however, Anna looked like she was enjoying herself, as did Kristoff even though he still seemed somewhat uncomfortable. Occasionally, Anna would catch Elsa's eye and smile which Elsa would return.

"You enjoying yourself?"

Elsa turned to the left to see Hans standing beside her. He wasn't looking at her, but was facing forward towards the ballroom floor as well. He smiled a crooked smile when their eyes met.

"Hanging in there. Nothing's gone wrong yet, so that's good."

"Let's keep our fingers crossed."

"Thanks for taking over for me earlier by the way. You really didn't have to do that."

He shook his head. "No need to thank me. It was no trouble. All the credit belongs to you." He leaned in a little closer, and murmured, "Nice touch with the ice sculptures by the way."

"Thanks, I made them myself." She giggled.

The two of them watched the dancers, although most of their attention was on Anna and Kristoff.

"Ok, can I just voice what I'm thinking?" asked Hans.

"Go ahead."

"They are... awful."

She snorted, the two of them laughing and unwittingly turning to face each other.

"You look stunning tonight," he said to her. She smiled, looking away from him shyly.

Realizing what he had said, he turned back to face the dancers. He coughed, clearing his throat. "Um... Perhaps we could—"

"Hans!" Anna waved to them from the her place on the dance floor. She approached the two of them, toting Kristoff along behind her. "I didn't see you earlier."

"Hello, Anna," he said courteously, bowing to her. "Beautiful as always."

She curtsied. "Keeping my big sister company I see," she said, giving Elsa a smug grin.

"I just wanted to tell her how nice the ball has been."

"Uh-huh," she said skeptically. "Elsa, there's no need to be such a stick in the mud. You should dance, loosen up, have some fun!"

"I'm fine right here, thank you."

She turned to Hans, nudging him. "So how about you? Just one dance."

"May I?" he asked Kristoff, looking to him for approval.

Kristoff held up his hands in defeat. "I'm done with dancing. If she wants to, then by all means, go ahead."

"Do you mind?" he asked Elsa.

"Not at all."

"Just one dance," he promised Kristoff and Elsa. "I can't disappoint my best girl."

Elsa rolled her eyes, smiling and shaking her head. She and Kristoff watched the two of them dance for a little while before Kristoff asked her. "Do you mind if I go? I want to hang out with Sven for a little while."

"No, that's fine," she reassured him. "Go ahead, I'll let Anna know."

He smiled gratefully before leaving her standing by herself. However, she wasn't by herself for long, she was quickly brought into a conversation with a few of her guests.

Hans looked back to see that she was no longer standing in her usual spot. He saw her conversing with some people he didn't recognize. He could see that she seemed to be enjoying herself because she was smiling, and he accidentally caught her eye while she was mid-laugh, but they both quickly looked away. When she smiled, her face would light up, and he liked it; he liked it a lot. Rather than wanting to interrupt, he decided he'd catch up with her later.

Eventually, Elsa parted from the conversation with her guests, smiling and apologizing. Despite having thrown the ball in celebration for her cousin's visit, she actually hasn't seen much of her since she had arrived. She weaved through the crowd of people, scanning the room for any signs of Rapunzel.

She wasn't really looking where she was going because if she had, she probably would not have bumped into a familiar tall figure with red hair that was dressed in white.

"My apologies, your majesty," said Hans upon recognizing her.

"No, it was my fault," she said, still looking through the crowd for her cousin. "I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

"Actually, funny that I ran into you because I've been meaning to ask you—"

"Mhm?" she asked absentmindedly, craning her neck in the hope that she would be able to possibly catch sight of Rapunzel by looking over the many heads in the ballroom.

"Are you looking for someone?" he asked.

She turned to looked back at him. "Sorry, I'm being rude."

"No, no, it's fine."

"It's just that I'm looking for my cousin. I haven't seen her all evening, and I've been looking forward to catching up with her, and—"

"Say no more, I completely understand, and I'd hate to be in your way."

She smiled graciously, and he stepped to his right to allow her to pass, but at the same moment she stepped to her left so that they were still standing directly in front of one another. In an attempt to correct their error, they both stepped in the opposite direction, but again they faced the same dilemma as before. They chuckled awkwardly, trying one more time to move past one another but for the third time they remained in each others way.

"Sorry," she said. "You go left, and I go right."

"That's the same direction," he reminded her, but he has an amused expression on his face.

"Right. Then how about we both go right?"

After many hasty apologies and what seemed like an excruciatingly and unnecessarily long time, they finally managed to get around each other.

Elsa finally found Rapunzel. There were lots of hugs (which she was hesitant to initiate, but she found that her powers were less likely to harm someone she had a strong love for, despite those people being the one's she was most afraid of hurting. it was about finding that right balance of being careful but not afraid) and "its so good to see you"s and happy smiles. Rapunzel thanked her for such a warm welcome and said that the ball was fantastic even though she insisted that Elsa didn't have to go through all that trouble for her. But if her cousin liked it, Elsa was finally satisfied and able to relax, knowing all the stress she had gone through had been worth it.

It was only a matter of time before she had to get dragged away from Rapunzel and her husband Flynn because all good things must come to an end, and one of her staff had informed her that apparently something had gone wrong with the ice sculptures and so she had to attend personally to that. She wasn't very upset; she hadn't expected to get so far into the evening without running into any bumps or hassles, so the fact that there was only a problem arising then was almost a relief.

Nevertheless, she snuck out to the balcony to be by herself. She leaned upon the ledge, admiring the full moon as the light glittered upon the lake. Balls were nice, but they were too much stress. She decided that maybe she would step outside later, much, much later to let off a little steam.

"The host avoiding her own party?" She heard a voice from behind her, and she turned to see Hans standing there.

She turned back to face the view. "Not at all, I'm just... Overwhelmed, is all."

"If it's any consolation, it's been going really well, but that's no surprise considering the strenuous amount of planning you seemed to have done."

She didn't answer.

"Queen Elsa?"

She looked back at him again.

"The night is nearly over, and if i may be so bold... I was hoping that I would be able to have this dance?"

She blinked. "Pardon?"

"I wanted to ask, you know. Before we ran out of chances." He held out his hand to her.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," she said.

"What are you afraid of?" he asked. "I don't bite. I promise." He smiled.

"It's not that..." She looked at his hand extended out to her then back up at him.

Hesitantly, she began to reach out to take his hand in her own. In her nervousness, she could feel a chill run through her body as she saw the frost crawling up the balcony: on the ledge, along the doorframe, on the floor. She stopped, retracting her hand.

He knew what she was capable of. He knew what she could do. His unwavering hopeful smile remained. He still seemed to trust her, for whatever reason.

If only she could just relax. She took a deep breath, trying to let herself go. At last, she took his hand in hers.


	4. Chapter 4: Snow Queen

Elsa couldn't help but notice the frost building up beneath her feet as it glimmered and shone under the light of the moon. Her heels clicked on the stone as she stepped further and further from the castle. The frost grew more and more until it was no longer just frost but layers of snow, fresh and white and crunching softly as she walked upon it. Under normal circumstances she would fight to suppress the cold, but at the moment she would choose to ignore it.

It was late, much later than when the last party guests had finally said their goodbye's, and Elsa desperately needed to let go of her inhibitions and free herself from her anxieties. She had remained collected and together the entire night—and by extension also the entire time since that fateful day when she finally had ended the storm—and she was having none of it any longer. Tonight would be different.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and, for once, allowed her magic to flow freely from her fingertips.

She could feel the relief wash over her as all the pent-up energy that had been building inside her was released. Snowflakes swirled all around her conjured out of practically nothing and straight into the air. Structures, patterns, crystals of ice—whatever she could set her mind to—were willed into being simply with a flick of her wrist. She allowed her movements to be as free as her thoughts, just letting the flow of her emotions taking her wherever her powers would lead her.

Elsa undid the bun in her hair and allowed it to fall loosely around her. She could see her breath starting to form in clouds in front of her as the chill in the air began to grow, but she paid no mind to it. The snow queen was without a care in the world, and any problem that arose, she could always fix later. Right now, she reveled in her solitude, and this time she spent as she stood right outside the castle in the freezing cold was hers and hers alone.

"Someone looks like they're having fun."

"Hans!" Elsa turned around to see him standing behind her. She had been so caught up in the moment, she hadn't even heard him approach her which was surprising considering that she was pretty familiar to the sound of footsteps crunching in the snow.

He smiled apologetically. "Forgive me, am I bothering you?"

She shook her head, still rather flustered, and her cheeks flushed with a pink tinge. "No, I... I just didn't expect anybody else to be out here."

"Neither did I. But, funny story, I couldn't sleep, so naturally I decided to go outside for a walk through the courtyard. So there I was, minding my own business when I happened to notice a figured with snow white hair rushing from the castle doors. I just had to see what you were up to."

"Really?"

"No, I was just hoping I'd get to play around in the snow."

She rolled her eyes. "Are you going to make a habit out of sneaking up on me when I least expect it?" asked Elsa. "If you keep this up I'm just gonna tell you right now that I'm not responsible for whatever happens to you."

"Technically, the first time you ran into me."

"Fair enough." Elsa sighed. "By the way, since you were wondering why I'm out here in the first place, I... just needed to unwind a little bit. Tonight's been a long night."

"Oh I'd imagine so, judging by the way you were snoring on my shoulder earlier. Tell me," he pried, "am I really that boring?"

"I was not snoring," she said, aghast. She straightened her posture, trying her best to retain her dignity.

"If you say so." He smirked.

"Are you sure you want to challenge me on that?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I am honor-bound to speak only the truth to you, no matter how painful that truth may be, your majesty," he replied, but his tone was mocking.

"Keep talking, Westerguard, and you just might find out personally just exactly what I'm capable of." Her eye's flashes dangerously and the chill in the air grew stronger.

"As beautiful and ungodly terrifying as you realizing your full potential would be, I'd prefer you not realize it on me." Hans gave a somewhat defeated smile. "I don't mean to instigate anything, honest." He took a step back from her. "Besides, I'm just gonna get you all riled up again, and you said you wanted to unwind. Just ignore me. I'll be all but invisible. Just go ahead and go back to doing your little frozen thing."

Elsa turned away from him again. She really did try to continue, to get back into the mind set she had been in before, but she couldn't focus anymore. That sense of freedom she had felt just a few moments ago was no longer there.

She turned back to him, scowling. "Well, come on then," she said irritably.

"Hm?"

"You said you wanted to play around in the snow."

"Yes, but that was a joke, I didn't expect you to take it seriously."

"Well you've officially ruined my 'me' time, so the least you can do is make it up to me by helping me build a snowman."

He gave an amused smile, bowing slightly to her. "As you wish."

She crossed her arms, still trying to feign annoyance, but despite herself she cracked a grin.

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**A/n: This one was pretty short, sorry. I was going to add more at the end but changed my mind & am going to probably save what I had written for a later chapter. Please read & review!**


	5. Chapter 5: Goodbyes

**A/n: I decided to just put the rest of it in the next chapter.**

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"You call that a snowman?" said Elsa, looking over from where she stood with her snowman over at Hans where he was building his.

"I apologize, not all of us have your skill with ice," he said, looking over at her.

"Look at the this poor thing; it's completely lopsided!" She gestured to his poor misshapen snowman.

"Touché." He turned away her, but as he did so, he felt a snowball smack into the side of his head. He turned to see Elsa, who seemed very fixated on building her snowman, feigning the picture of innocence.

He turned back to his own creation, but as soon as he looked away the same thing happened again and then once more. He heard a giggle. He turned to Elsa again, and she looked as innocent as before. However, they were the only people who were outside, not to mention the look on her face was a little too carefully composed.

He quickly grabbed a handful of snow and packed it into a ball, but before he could throw it, a fourth snowball smacked right into his face. He heard the familiar giggle once more, and saw through the snow a brilliant smile being concealed behind a hand as Elsa laughed.

He raised an eyebrow "Oh, it's on," he said with a sly grin. In an instant, her expression changed from one of innocence to mischief. He threw the snowball he had held in his hand, which she dispelled into the air without a problem. She conjured up several more snowballs. They smacked into him, throwing him off-balance, and he fell over, collapsing into the snow.

"Hans?" She crept closer to him. She hovered above his figure laying in the snow.

He grinned up at her. "Fancy seeing you here, your highness," he said lightly, as if he were surprised to see her standing there.

She rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched in a small smile. She offered out a hand to him. He sat up and took it, but before she could help him up, he pulled her down into the snow beside him. She cried out in surprise, but she refused to let go of him and the two of them tumbled through the snow together, laughing.

Elsa pinned him face-up in the snow. She looked down at him, and her lips twisted in a devilish smirk, looking satisfied with herself. "I win."

His gaze lingered—on face, her eyes, her lips. Finally, he said with a smile, "You know, some of us are only able to sit in the snow for so long without dying of hypothermia."

"S-sorry," she stammered with a sheepish grin. "I can—"

Before she could finish her sentence, Hans leaned upward, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

Elsa froze. Her smile faded. She blinked, her eyes widening, all of a sudden painfully aware of their close proximity. The place where she had been kissed burned.

"My apologies, Your Highness."

She felt her face grow hot and her hands go cold. "No it's... fine." She rolled over to lay down in the snow beside him, completely awed and perplexed. Elsa was acutely aware of the pounding of her own heart. The two of them watched the night sky in silence, realizing that their breath was visible in the chilly night air.

She sat up, scrambling to her feet. "We should probably head back to the castle," she said, clutching her arms close to her body. The frost began to build up again beneath her feet.

He stood up as well, hair dripping slightly and clothes wet from the snow. "Yes, that's probably good thinking."

She smiled apologetically. "Sorry," she said, doing her best to dispel the water from his figure.

"Not bad," he said, nodding appreciatively. "Almost like it never happened."

"Yeah. Almost."

—

"Elsa, it's nearly 11, are you going to get up anytime soon?" said Anna from her bedside, giving her sister a good shake.

"Nooooo," she grumbled, covering her head with a pillow.

"Elsa, come on. When the sky's awake, we're awake." She lay on top of Elsa.

"Anna," she complained. "Get off of me."

"Not until you wake up."

"I'm awake, ok? Aren't you getting a little old for this?"

"Nope."

She groaned, grabbing a pillow and hitting Anna in the head with it.

"Alright, fine," said Anna, getting off Elsa & standing back up. Elsa herself sat up, dangling her feet off the edge of her bed. She yawned, stretching her arms.

"Aw, sleeping beauty is finally up?" said Anna.

"Oh, shut up," she said mid-yawn.

"Why so tired?" Anna turned away from Elsa to examine herself in her older sister's mirror by the beside table.

"Last night was a long night."

"Yeah I can tell, from how heavily you were snoring," she said, smirking.

Elsa furrowed her brow. "Do I really snore?"

Anna ignored this. She turned to look at Elsa. "Those are some pretty dark shadow's you got under your eyes."

Elsa groaned again in response. "Great."

Anna turned back to her reflection in the mirror, fixing her bangs. "Anyways, you might wanna get ready. Hans' ship is being loaded. He's leaving this morning."

"What?" She was now fully alert. Ice began creeping up the windowpanes of her room.

Upon seeing Elsa's reaction, she raised her eyebrows, looking over at her older sister again with a quizzical look. "What, he didn't tell you?"

Slowly, Elsa shook her head. "No... He did not."

—

"Are you sure you don't want to stay a little longer?" Anna asked Hans. She had asked him the same thing about a million times that morning, but she asked one more time just to be sure as they stood on the dock of Arandelle's port together to say their last goodbye's for his departure.

"Yes, yes," said Hans. "As much as I've enjoyed my stay here, I think it's about time that I head home."

"Promise you'll come back to visit, ok?"

"Cross my heart. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it," he said, smiling reassuringly.

Anna hugged him, a motion which he reciprocated affectionately. "You're welcome here any time," she said.

"Thank you so much." He let go of Anna and turned to face Elsa, who was standing quietly a just a few feet behind her.

Hans approached her so that he stood directly before her. He bowed. "Thank you for your hospitality."

She nodded in return. "It's been really wonderful having you here." She couldn't look him in the eye.

"I wouldn't want to prolong my stay any longer; I would just be hindrance. I'm sure my family misses me." He laughed as if he had just told a good joke. "All the same," he said, this time sounding much more solemn, "I will be very sorry to leave you."

She looked up at him, and in his eyes she could see a glimpse of earnestness. She wasn't sure what to make of it. "Well, I... We're... sorry to see you go," she replied. "We wish you a safe journey home." She tried her best to smile.

"Thank you." He held one gloved hand out to her. Warily, she took it, her eyes meeting his. Carefully, very carefully, he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. She could feel her cheeks grow warm, but the nervousness she felt made the rest of her go cold. His gaze lingered upon hers, and she prayed for her powers not to act up at this point in time.

Hans didn't seem to notice, or if he did, he didn't care. He took a step back, his smile easy as he looked at both Elsa and Anna. "I'll write to you as soon as I get back, ok?"

"Please do!" said Anna.

Elsa said nothing. She couldn't.

"Don't miss me too much, alright?" he said jokingly. He gave an bright smile and a small wave as he boarded his ship, a wave which Anna returned.

Anna watched as the ship sailed away and disappeared beyond the horizon, but Elsa had disappeared from the dock before the ship had even left the port.

—

"Cheer up, Elsa. He'll be back soon," said Anna. The pair of them sat in one of the castle's many large rooms: Elsa resting in an armchair, Anna splayed across the couch.

Elsa hadn't spoken since the departure; she just sat there in silence. Occasionally, she would flick her wrist or twirl her fingers, conjuring up a snowflake into the air. She had been in lost in thought, but upon hearing Anna's words, Elsa lifted her head to look up at her, waking from her stupor. "Hm? Oh, I know." She sighed. "Why does it matter, anyways," she felt the need to add.

"You seemed to be enjoying his company." Anna gave her a look that seemed to say _you know it matters_.

Elsa nodded, but continued to play with the snowflakes in the air absentmindedly. "He's very nice. I doubt there's a person who wouldn't enjoy his company." She was careful with her choice of words.

"You know what I mean."

"Anna." She sighed. "I have more things to trouble me than the affections of one prince."

"But it's Hans, that's different."

"You seem awfully intent on fixing me up with someone you were completely convinced was your soulmate not long ago," said Elsa.

Anna ignored this. "You should write to him. I think you'd both like that."

Elsa stood up abruptly. "I'll not be discussing this with you again. I have work to do." She strode from the room and into the hall.

"You know, you really shouldn't run away from your problems." Anna called after her.

Elsa stopped in her tracks, hesitating for a moment. Then the moment was over. She closed her eyes and took a deep shuddering breath. "Watch me." She strode off without another word.

* * *

**A/n: Don't worry, he'll be back. I'm not rushing things am I?**


	6. Chapter 6: No Take Backsies

"Hey Elsa, guess what?"

Elsa looked up from her papers to see Anna standing in front of her desk. She sighed. "Anna, please. I'm busy."

"You always say that," she complained. "'Later Anna'," she said, changing her voice to mimic her older sister's. "'I'm busy Anna'. 'I promise I will, Anna, I just have to take care of this first.'"

She folded her arms crossly. "First of all, I do not sound like that. And second of all," she said, returning her focus back to the papers in her hands. "I wouldn't say those things if they weren't true."

"Elsa, it's important," she said, jumping up at down impatiently.

She looked back at Anna abruptly. "You didn't break anything, did you?"

"What? No, Elsa listen to me." She brandished a piece of paper in front of Elsa's face. "Guess who's letter just arrived?"

Elsa squinted, scrutinizing the letter more closely. "Anna, It's addressed to you."

Anna ignored this. She coughed, clearing her throat. "'Dear Anna'," she began, reading from the letter. "That's me," she added.

Elsa rolled her eyes, but listened intently nonetheless.

"'Sorry this took so long, but I've been awfully sidetracked ever since I got home. Apparently in my absence, a lot has happened, so of course there's been a lot of catching up to do. I wish I had more time to write, but there always seems to be so many other things going on that I simply don't have the time. The weather here will definitely take some getting used to for me. How've you been? I feel bad leaving my best girl on such a short notice, but I was getting homesick. While I'm on the subject of home, I feel it necessary to inform you that I received a total of five and a half "welcome backs" from my family when I got back. Don't ask about the half. Anyways, I'm fairly certain that is probably an new record. Maybe I should leave home more often. Ok, that was a joke, but maybe I really should.'" She frowned. "Boring small talk," she muttered. "More boring small talk."

"I was under the impression that you had already read this."

"I have, that's why I'm skipping over all this. Aha! 'Tell your sister I said hello. I look forward to seeing both you and her again although at the moment I'm not quite sure when that will be. Lots of love, Hans.'"

For a moment, Anna caught Elsa's eyes widening before she turned her gaze back down to her desk. "Well that was nice of him," she said, as if to casually brush off her sister's statement. "If you write back, tell him I send my salutations as well."

"'That was nice of him'?"

"It's your letter. Anyways, I am pleased. You two seem thick as thieves; it would be a shame to fall out of touch."

"You don't seem all that pleased."

"Let me revel in my excitement my way, and you can revel in the excitement your way."

"Fine," said Anna, turning to leave. "Then I guess you don't want to read the one addressed to you as well."

Elsa froze. "What?"

Anna paused, and Elsa saw that when she turned back to face her that she had a smug smile on her face. She held out a second piece of paper, this one addressed to Elsa. "That caught your attention."

Eyes wide, Elsa attempted to snatch the letter from her younger sister, but Anna held it out of her reach.

"Anna, give it!" she hissed, getting up from her seat and leaning over her desk to try and reach.

Anna snickered. "And I had been wondering why you had been so tired the morning after the ball."

The color drained from her face. "You didn't."

"Oh I did."

"You realize that's a crime to open up mail addressed to someone else, don't you? Particularly if said person is the queen of Arandelle."

"Empty threats aren't going to make me unsee the letter."

Elsa practically crawled over the desk to get to the letter, which amused Anna greatly. "Give it to me!" Anna shrieked as Elsa all but tackled her in an attempt to get the piece of paper in her hands.

"Not unless you promise to build a snowman with me later!" yelled Anna, Elsa, wrestling in her head with the temptation to use her powers as well as physically with her sister to attain the letter which was being held just out of her reach.

"Anna!"

"Promise!" Anna saw her sister raise her hand, and she felt air dropping in temperature. "Don't do it, or you'll ruin the paper!"

Elsa hesitated, and Anna took advantage of this brief hesitation to pry herself from her sisters grasp. She hadn't gone two steps when she saw something white pass her, narrowly missing her left ear and hitting the door, freezing it shut.

"You almost hit me!" cried Anna indignantly.

"But I didn't." Elsa's aim had actually been very careful not to hit her sister. Using her magic directly on Anna was something she still was not comfortable with.

Anna did the only thing she could think of: she grabbed onto Elsa's leg and clung for dear life.

"Anna, what are you—"

"I won't let go unless you promise to build a snowman with me later."

"Anna don't be ridiculous. Just let me—"

"Promise."

She sighed, exasperated. "Fine."

"And that you'll have an ice skating day later this week," added Anna.

"Don't push it."

"Please?"

"Alright! Now will you please let go of me?"

Anna let go of Elsa's leg, holding out the letter to her older sister from where she sat on the floor.

Elsa took it, unfreezing the door with a wave of her hand. She examined the letter, turning it over in her hand, and something seemed off. "The seal isn't even broken," she said, puzzled.

"Oh, yeah. You didn't think I actually would read the letter, did you?"

"But you said—"

She rolled her eyes. "I made that up. Although your reaction was kinda suspicious don't you think? Not hiding anything, are you?"

Anna could see Elsa flush bright red, the color reaching all the way to her ears. Embarrassment quickly turned to rage, so before Elsa could say or do anything, Anna rushed out the door hurriedly calling back to her, "Anyways, you promised, ok, so no take backsies!"

For a moment, Elsa just stood there, stunned. At last, resigned to the that she had been fooled by her little sister, she let out a huge sigh and opened the letter. There were worse things you could be tricked into than building a snowman.

* * *

**A/n: I'll probably say what's in the letter next chapter, so don't be too disappointed.**


	7. Chapter 7: Letters

**A/n: wow my longest chapter. If the way the letters are written gets confusing, it may be because sometimes the paragraphs are direct responses to the previous letter, if that makes any sense?**

* * *

Queen Elsa of Arandelle,

Thank you for wishing me a safe journey home. I am happy to announce that I have arrived home fully intact. I don't suppose I could apologize enough for such an impromptu departure. While I was quite enjoying my stay, I found myself in a conundrum in that I was quite homesick and had to return back home. Leaving on holiday is always quite nice, but you always must be brought back down to reality when you accept the fact that it is just that, a holiday. I don't think anybody, myself included, expected my stay to be as long as it was (its probably a good thing I tend to overpack). I had a thoroughly good time in Arandelle although I think part of it can be chalked up to the company being so great. Both you and Anna have been wonderful hosts; it was just the fact that I was beginning to feel like the party guest who simply won't leave.

I hope that you and your sister are happy at the moment. Anna is quite the ball of energy. Usually I can keep up, I just don't know how you can handle it 24/7. Not that it's annoying since as the youngest of thirteen, I understand where she's coming from. I actually adore your younger sister, and although we have not been aquatinted for very long, I am beginning to regard her as my own. I've never had a sister. I kind of like it. At the very least, becoming practically siblings after a few weeks is better than becoming betrothed after one evening, right? What an odd change in relationship...

Let's face it; I sometimes tend to rush into things... I really must apologize for that. That and every moment after. I would love to come back to Arandelle sometime, but only if Arandelle will have me, of course.

Sincerely,

Hans Westerguard

_Prince Hans,_

_Thank you so much for the letter. I'm so glad to hear that you are alright. I'm not particularly fond of travel by ship. I try to avoid it if I can help it—makes me anxious. Also, don't ever worry about feeling like you are overstaying your welcome; we are always happy to have you._

_Anna and I are both doing well. She was very excited to have received your letter. On the topic of her being a ball of energy: you have no idea. One sibling is a handful; I can't imagine having twelve. You don't want to know what I had to go through to in order to receive your letter from her. She can be so silly sometimes. You two seem to get along so well. Is it never awkward? She always seems to have so much fun when she's with you. Maybe I'm jealous... I've just been so busy lately that I haven't been able to spend as much time with her as I would like._

_And I agree; you do rush into things. All the same, Arandelle would love to have you back. Honestly, you're welcome any time. _

_Many thanks,_

_Queen Elsa of Arandelle_

Queen Elsa,

If it troubles you at all, I don't think you have to worry about me getting shipwrecked. I spent a few years in the Southern Isles' Navy; I think I know what I'm doing. Although I'm sure you have more pressing matters on your mind than myself.

Addressing the question about whether it is ever awkward between me and Anna: is it strange that the answer is not really? It's because we both have red hair; we have a redhead connection.

Ok, but in all serious, maybe it was at first, but if truth be told there wasn't a lot of investment in the relationship—at least, not in the romantic sense. Anna doesn't need me. If she's happy, really that's good enough for me. I know my girl, she'll survive. I don't think Anna is too broken up about it. Although, oddly enough, neither am I. While I was devastated when I could not unfreeze her heart, I was fine once I knew she would be alright. Any heartache i felt was brief. I love your sister, and yet my heart is not broken. Do you think me wicked?

I wouldn't worry too much about neglecting time with Anna. You just have a lot on your plate right now. I'm sure she understands. At least she does want to spend time with you.

Best regards,

Hans Westerguard

_Dear Prince Hans,_

_Oh god no, don't tell me that. The thought of someone out at sea for so long makes me nervous just thinking about it. Although you really must tell me more about your being in the navy sometime. Now that I know this little bit of information, I expect to hear all about any sort of crazy adventures you got into._

_And yes, I'm absolutely sure that's why you two are such pals. The bond between redheads is stronger than any blood relation could hope to be I am sure._

_I don't think you are a bad person for not being heartbroken over Anna. You really only did know each other for maybe a day. I know you care about her._

_Also, telling me not to worry is like telling me not to breathe. It's what I do best. I'm trying to work on that. It's not good for the weather here. It's just that I've spent so long shutting her out. I don't want her to think I'm still pushing her away. If I could drop all my duties and make up every single second of lost time, I would._

_Sincerely,_

_Queen Elsa_

Dear Queen Elsa,

Oh yes, I will be sure to regale you with tales of my many escapades at sea. Although I'm not sure if I'd be able to properly convey everything in letter form. Would you prefer just the exciting parts, or would you rather hear all the gaudy details?

The bond between two redheads is so much stronger than blood.

Also it wasn't only a day. It was more like... three days.

I know that saying "just stop worrying" is all but useless advice, but honestly, stop tip-toeing. You need to strut. Who doesn't love a good snow day? I'm not saying you should neglect your duties, but it would do you some good to let go once in a while.

Sincerely,

Hans Westerguard

P.S. I think by now Anna understands what your intentions were in seclusion all these years. I don't think she will further misinterpret your motives in what you do. If I were her, I would be grateful to have an older sibling who cared about me so much.

_Dear Prince Hans,_

_ I would like to hear everything. And by everything, I do mean everything._

_It wasn't three days. Of those three days you were _not_ betrothed, you were actually together for only a single evening. Therefore, those other days don't count._

_I'm trying not to be so high-strung, I really am. It's just been a part of me for so long, its rather difficult to let that part of me go. The part of me that always fears that something will go wrong. I'm getting better at it though._

_Sincerely,_

_Queen Elsa_

_P.S. Thank you. I really do care about Anna very much. I think your brothers care about you too, even if you don't see it._

Dear Queen Elsa,

When I come back, then. I promise.

I suppose we will just have to agree to disagree on that.

I don't think you are high-strung. Ok, maybe you are, a little. But in a good way.

Sincerely,

Hans Westerguard

P.S. What my brothers constitute as care is a little unorthodox, unless all twelve of my brothers are trying to keep me safe from ice powers by distancing themselves from me.

_Dear Hans,_

_Sorry for such a late reply. I just have had about a million things I have needed to get done lately. Along the same lines, I have a confession to make: I snapped and got a new pair of gloves. They are currently sitting next to me on the windowsill. I couldn't take it; I've been under so much pressure. If I feel like I am having trouble controlling my powers, I put them on. I don't like when I can see the ice creeping up the window panes. Usually once I calm down, the ice will just go away, but lately I have not been able to get rid of it. It's even worse when ice forms on anything I touch._

_Please don't tell Anna, that is, __if you two are still writing. I have a feeling she would be disappointed in me if she knew. I don't want her to be disappointed._

_I know I should get rid of the gloves if I want to make any progress harnessing my powers, but they make me feel a little bit more secure. I'll get rid of them... eventually._

_Sincerely,_

_Elsa_

_P.S. Sorry for being such a downer._

Dear Queen Elsa,

I won't say anything to Anna. You have my word. Although I do think you should tell her, but on your own time. I do not see it as my position to tell you what to do, but I also feel like you should get rid of the gloves. Don't worry, I am not going to lecture you, those are just my thoughts.

How about a deal? If you get rid of your gloves, I'll get rid of mine too. Although I am not quite sure how you would benefit from this, but I already wrote it down so it is too late to take back now.

Don't feel bad about being a downer in your letter. I would much prefer you be honest with me than try to spare me by telling me only the nice things. I don't want to get the idea that you are happy when you are not. If I could be there personally to cheer you up, I would. Although I do not know if you would really want another distraction.

I would send flowers, but I have my doubts on their ability to withstand the journey fully intact. Instead, to make up for a lack of my own tales of my life at sea—which you will hear eventually, I swear to you—I'm enclosing a copy of my favorite book. I wasn't sure whether you had the book in your own castle library (which was very impressive I will admit), so I am letting you have my own personal copy as a gift. Sorry about the condition, but hopefully you will find it as enjoyable as I do. It's not much, but maybe it will be a good distraction since you're so overwhelmed with your queenly duties.

Take care,

Hans

_Dear Hans,_

_Thank you so much for gift. If I could hug you, I would. I am happy to announce that I enjoyed it very much. I will admit shamefully that I finished it in less than a day. You don't need to apologize about the condition; I can see why it is so loved (although I did not see that twist coming. I thought he was dead!). I only have one small critique. I kept expecting there to be pirates, and it kept alluding to pirate-related things, but there were never any pirates. You cannot allude to pirates and then not deliver any pirates! There has to be some sort of rule against that._

_I think I am feeling much better now. My schedule is not quite as busy as it was before, so I can relax a little bit. Since I've been able to keep control of my anxiety a little better, I've gotten a better grasp with my powers. Yesterday was an ice skating day, since I promised Anna I would have one. Anna was so happy. You should have seen her. Time with her has been a lot more scarce than I had ever anticipated after the whole "becoming ruler of an entire country" thing._

_Thank you so much,_

_Elsa_

_P.S. On the subject of your gloves. Why do you wear those anyways?_

Dear Elsa,

I am pleased to hear that you are feeling better. Sorry to disappoint on the book; if it is any consolation, I too feel that there is a significant lack of pirates in the novel. I actually grew up with that story (being the youngest of 13 children I had to find some way to entertain myself), so I am glad that you enjoyed it.

Also, I'm trying to envision Anna skating gracefully upon the ice, but I just can't see it. "Anna" and "graceful" simply don't go together. Ice skating does sound fun, however. Much better than anything happening here. Or more accurately, anything not happening here. You would think a home with thirteen siblings would be more eventful. Not that I wish you any unhappiness, but I have been absolutely bored out of my mind lately, so I'm hoping the time I have spent away from Arandelle has been exceptionally tedious without me because I have missed it there far too much, and I need a good excuse to come back. However, there is actually one thing I still want to discuss with my father before I intend to visit Arandelle. I will let you know what it is if it goes well, but I would like to tell you in person if that is alright?

Sincerely yours,

Hans

P.S. I actually have fire powers. Surprise?

P.P.S. Kidding, I just dislike dirt?

_Dear Hans,_

_Please do come if you can. In fact, we are anticipating your arrival so much that we will greet you personally at the harbor. There will be trumpets, flowers, an announcer, we'll bust out the chocolate fondue, ice sculptures in your honor, the royal guard will be there, you know, the works._

_But In all honesty, we would love to have you. I am not saying that we miss you, but we may miss you. I think Anna would be very happy to see you again. Are you still writing her? She has not bothered to tell me._

_Hurry back,_

_Elsa_

_P.S. I agree; how can a home with 13 siblings possibly be boring? You really must introduce me to your brothers sometime. They surely cannot be as bad as you make them out to be._

Dear Elsa,

I am disappointed. I have never gotten a real royal welcoming before. I cannot believe you got my hopes up for nothing. Although just as a personal request, can you actually do the chocolate fondue?

To answer your question: no I am not writing Anna anymore, just you. I think she may have just forgotten to reply to my last letter. She's a lot slower to reply than you are.

Also, you do not want to meet my brothers. Just trust me on this one. You are right though, they are not as bad as I make them out to be.

Sincerely yours,

Hans

_Hans,_

_I realize that by the time you receive this it will be much later than when I write this, but I felt the need to write this anyways. I do not know what time of day you will receive this, but I just wanted to try to share this experience with you._

_This morning I woke up, and I realized it was still dark. Rather than going back to sleep, I decided to step outside, so I climbed out onto the about it later, I don't know why I did it. The only reason I can think of would be because I was waiting for something to happen, only that does not make sense because I had no idea what I was waiting for._

_Anyways, I sat outside the castle and watched the night sky. The stars faded away as time went by and the sky gradually became less blue. And the sun came up, and I wish I could describe to you the colors. The oranges, reds, golds, even silver; the sky kept changing, the colors blurring together as the sun rose up slowly from the horizon. It was absolutely gorgeous._

_I considered telling Anna about what I saw, all the colors in the sunrise, but I didn't know how. Even now I am having trouble articulating it clearly to you. Really, the only way to experience it would just be to see it for yourself. I've never seen the sun rise before; for some reason it reminded me of you._

_I hope the sunrise is as beautiful in the Southern Isles as it is here because this coming from someone who has built entire castles from ice, and I have never seen anything quite like it in my entire life._

_Lot's of love,_

_Elsa_

Elsa,

I took your advice and woke up early today to watch the sun rise. You were absolutely right. It was breathtaking. I can understand why you would not know exactly how to share this with Anna. Thank you for sharing it with me. However, I am curious. The balcony you stood on; by any chance was that the one where you froze the door? You know, the one where we danced. Because if so, that may explain why you felt the need to write me about the sunrise. And I am so glad that you did.

You said that you hope the sunrise is as beautiful from the Southern Isles as it is in Arandelle? Don't worry. It is. It absolutely is.

Yours truly,

Hans

* * *

**A/n: what do you think Hans' favorite book is? Just take a wild guess (if its not clear from the other chapters and what a completely derivative hack I am)**


	8. Chapter 8: Arguments

**A/n**: Sorry this took so long, I know I usually update on the weekend but I've been so busy what with school ending soon. Anyways here it is.

* * *

"Wait, Hans is coming back, and you didn't tell me?" said Anna incredulously.

Elsa nodded, not looking up from her book. It was the morning, and the two of them were in Elsa's room. Elsa was sitting in bed reading, paying little mind to Anna who was sitting by the windowsill, fiddling with the curtain. Upon hearing this news, Anna sat straight up, staring at her older sister.

"And you didn't think it was kind of important to keep me in the know?"

"I was going to tell you, but it wasn't confirmed for certain until his last letter." She was supposed to be getting dressed, but she didn't want to set the book down just yet. It was almost to her favorite part.

"Why are you reading that thing again?" asked Anna, giving her sister a derisive look. "You never put it down."

"It's good."

"Isn't that like your fifth time reading it?"

"Fourth, actually."

"But that's the point. Why would you already read something where you already know what's going to happen?"

Elsa didn't answer. Anna huffed in annoyance, sitting back and continuing to fiddle with the curtains.

"What are in those things, anyways?" asked Anna, raising an eyebrow skeptically.

"Hm?" She concentrated hard on the page in front of her, trying to focus on the words.

"The letters," clarified Anna. "Every time a letter arrives, you're smiling like an idiot for about three days after."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Now she was almost certain this had been at least the third time reading over the same paragraph.

"Oh, don't play dumb."

Elsa sighed in resignation, snapping the book shut and getting out of bed. She yawned, stretching and sitting in front of the large mirror by the side of her bed. She grabbed the brush off the bedside table and began brushing through her long white hair.

"Come on, give me some details."

She could hear her sister's voice distantly in her head, but her mind had begun to wander off despite herself—to a marble balcony, a slow tune, a snowball fight, a sunrise, a burning kiss on the cheek.

"Hello?" Anna hopped off her seat by the windowsill, moving to stand behind Elsa. "Are you even listening?"

"Sorry?" she asked, blinking, her reverie broken.

"Nevermind." Anna flopped onto the bed in frustration. "Your mind is somewhere else today."

Elsa shrugged again as she set the brush down and worked at braiding her hair. She hummed quietly. When she had finished, she tied her hair back with a blue ribbon. She got up, going through her wardrobe and pulling out her blue dress. She quickly slipped out of her nightgown and into her dress. Anna, who was still laying on Elsa's bed, staring at the ceiling and clicking her tongue in impatience and boredom, paid her no mind.

Elsa turned back to the mirror, fixing her hair once more. She turned back to face Anna. "Come on. Get up now."

Anna groaned in response.

"I have to attend a meeting in an hour, so you'll have to do without me this morning."

Anna rolled over on the bed, face downward, her voice muffled by the comforter. "Then what's the point in getting up?" Her voice was muffled by the pillow.

"But with luck, I'll be free tomorrow."

Anna groaned again.

"If you don't complain, and if you allow me to finish everything by today, then maybe we can have another skating day tomorrow. And—" she added, "maybe if I finish early we can even build a snowman later."

The reaction was immediate. Anna sat up immediately, bright-eyed. "Well, why didn't you say so?" She slid herself off the bed.

Elsa giggled. "Although I would appreciate it if you would come down to breakfast with me. Like I said, the meeting isn't for an hour."

Anna smiled.

—

"So when's he coming?"

"Who?"

"Hans!" said Anna impatiently. She looked over from where she stood, building her snowman, over at Elsa who was busy building her own. Elsa's was obviously much better crafted than Anna's, but it was the principle that really mattered, not so much the actual results.

"Oh..." The subject had managed to already slip Elsa's mind, given it was hours after the early morning events. She wasn't especially enthusiastic about this revival of the earlier conversation topic. "He said he would be leaving approximately two weeks after he sent the letter."

"And when is that?"

"I received the letter last Tuesday. Today is Sunday, plus add in the time it took for the letter to travel. You do the math."

"You're telling me that you received the letter on Tuesday, and you didn't tell me this until now?" She was astounded.

Elsa could practically hear the betrayal in Anna's voice. She shrugged. With a flourish of her hand, her snowman now had a set of intricately detailed eyes.

"You seem awfully ambivalent for someone who's been writing back and forth with him all summer."

Elsa shrugged again, not meeting Anna's eyes. She wasn't keen on going into a discussion about Prince Hans with her younger sister. Another wave of her hand. Now the snowman had a nose.

"Oh please, you know you're looking forward to seeing him again just as much as I am."

Elsa continued to ignore her sister, making a careful point not to answer her. Her snowman's face was looking a little lopsided. She quickly rectified that.

"You're in denial, that's what you are."

"Excuse me?" She stopped fiddling with her snowman, looking over at Anna.

"Just admit it already."

"I don't see what there is to admit," she answered coldly.

Anne gave her a skeptical look. "Right," she scoffed.

"Anna, please," said Elsa, feeling burnt out. "Can we not do this now?"

"Well why not?"

She sighed. "Anna..."

"Why do you always have to hide everything from me? You're so secretive."

"I don't think I'm hiding anything!" The snowman began to freeze over, beginning from where her hand was still placed upon it, ice spreading farther and farther across the surface. Startled by this, Elsa removed her hand, but the cold spread until the entire figure was solid ice and then continued creeping slowly, spreading to the snow directly beneath her feet.

Panic rushed through her, and she tried her best to contain the cold, but it only succeeded in fueling the fire. _No_. She was better than this. _Think happy thoughts_. She shut her eyes, trying to concentrate. _Think happy_ _thoughts_. She shivered.

"Elsa?"

_Happy thoughts. Focus on happy thoughts_. Sled rides. Warm hugs. Building snowmen late into the night. But definitely not the thought of the events that had occurred in the very same room so many years ago. Not the years she had spent in solitude. And definitely not sunsets, balconies, or the memory of a slow melody and a feeling of a hand in hers.

She could practically feel the soft snow icing over as it lay upon the floor of the vast castle room, as if it were a part of her.

_Just protect Anna. Stop the ice, protect Anna_. If she couldn't stop it herself, there must be some other way to keep it from spreading.

The gloves. They were sitting on the corner of her beside table. If she could only get to them.

She bolted for the door and down the hallways into her room, Anna hot on her trail. With every step she took, there was new ice under her feet.

"Elsa!" she called after her, but Elsa didn't stop until she had snatched the gloves over the table and put them on. She could feel the gloves literally smothering her magic abilities. The ice had ceased its slow crawl down the hallways and along the walls, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh." Anna had caught sight of the gloves, and the disapproving tone in her voice was apparent, as well was what Elsa could have sworn was some disappointment. "I thought you had gotten ride of those."

"I did... But I figured I might need them again. For emergencies."

"I thought we were done with running away from our problems."

Elsa could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to hold them back, hugging arms to her body. "You don't understand. It keeps getting stronger." She took a deep breath, trying to regain what little composure she had left, and left the room entering back into the hallway, brushing past Anna on her way out.

"I'm trying to understand." She was frustrated, Elsa could tell. "But this just seems like such a step backwards. Wouldn't it be better to try and figure out what's wrong though, rather than just bottling it up?"

Elsa ignored her, however, continuing to walk down the hall. What was wrong? That was easy. Too much stress. Too much responsibility. And entire country depended on her. No more time to do what she wanted. Her relationship with her little sister was hanging by a thread. Her powers were getting hard to control again. She just didn't want everything to fall apart again, especially when things were finally starting to come together after so long. The problem definitely was not that she was a lovesick puppy.

"Elsa?" She had caught up with Elsa, catching her older sister's arm in her grasp.

Elsa tensed. "Anna..."

"I was only hoping you would open up a little bit about it. He seems to make you so happy, and—"

"Anna. Enough."

"I mean, I can see you smiling and laughing, so don't act like it's not true. Whenever you're together, whenever you receive a letter, even when you're reading that book!"

Elsa just shook her head, wrenching her arm from her sister's grasp and walking away.

"Elsa!" Anna called after her, following in her footsteps.

"I don't want to talk about it," she mumbled. "Honestly Anna, why do you keep insisting on always coming back to this?"

"We wouldn't have to if you would actually answer me when I ask!" said Anna, with a half-laugh that held no humor.

"You want an answer?" She new it was probably just a petty fight. She knew she was probably getting carried away. But she was too overwhelme in her own emotions to care.

Without paying heed to where she was going, the two of them had ended up in the entrance hall. Her voice carried so that it rang throughout the entire room.

"Yeah, I'd kind of appreciate one!"

"Fine! Well, I don't care if he comes back today, or next week, or next month, or even next year! Hell, I don't care if he _ever_ comes back, got it?"

A familiar voice came from the open doorway, which both of them caught up in their argument had failed to notice was now open. "Well, if that's the case, perhaps I should just take my things and head back home?"

* * *

**A/n**: Sorry, not a very happy chapter. And not a lot Helsa either. There'll be more in the next one, I swear. To be honest, part of the reason it took a while to update was because I'm still not entirely happy with this (although I probably shouldn't be saying that. But really I am trash).


	9. Chapter 9: Throwing Pebbles

**A/N:** How do I ever get anything done. Also this chapter's inspired by this /omh7RVL-Vhk on youtube because I am a derivative hack

* * *

"Hans!" the two girls cried in unison.

"In the flesh," he said, broad grin on his face.

Elsa went pale and shrunk back, eyes wide in shock and horror. Anna on the other hand barreled toward him, crushing him and practically knocking him over in a tight embrace. "You're back! Oh my god, I've missed you!"

"Woah, careful there." Hans laughed, picking her up and twirling her before pulling her back into a hug. "Of course. You didn't think I'd forget about you guys, did you?"

"But you're early!"

"I may or may not have stretched the truth about the time of my departure in your sister's letter. This isn't a bad time, is it?"

"No, no, not at all!" Anna insisted. "What are we doing, standing in the doorway like a pair of idiots! Come in, come in. You must be worn from your journey." Anna quickly ushered him inside.

"I'm fine, really," said Hans. "Never better. Quit worrying about me, I want to hear about you. How's my best girl?"

"Anna's fine. Fantastic actually, now that you're here. I hope you had a miserable time in the Southern Isles because there is no way you're going back, I missed you too much." She punched him affectionately on the shoulder, bright smile on her face.

"Likewise. The missing you part, anyway, not the hoping you were miserable part."

Elsa watched the pair of them from a few feet away. The way they talked to each other with such easiness made her feel traces of jealousy, amplified by the fact that her relationship with Anna was growing more strained at this point in time. She worked to suppress any feelings of envy.

"How long are you staying this time?" asked Anna.

"Well that all depends, really." Hans gaze drifted from Anna over to Elsa. For the first time since he had arrived, the two of them made eye contact. He was still smiling—perhaps more out of courtesy than anything else— but the bright-eyed, broad-grinned boy who had been to happy to see Anna was no longer present. She was too mortified to reciprocate the smile, quickly averting her eyes away.

He approached her cautiously. "Hi." He sounded almost as awkward and she felt.

"Hello." Secretly she was grateful for the informal greeting, hoping that meant he hadn't taken what she had said to heart. She struggled for words. "I, um... ah..."

He cleared his throat. "Yes..."

"I... It was an accident," she blurted out. "I didn't mean... At least... Not like..." She kept wringing her hands, still tongue tied, praying silently that her powers wouldn't act up while her heart was hammering so hard in her chest.

For a moment there was nothing but awkward silence. Anna watched the two of them anxiously, glancing back and forth between the two of them, not saying a word.

Elsa was the first to break it. "You're, uh... We weren't expecting you to be here so soon."

"I was hoping it would be a pleasant surprise," he said, his voice careful, "but if you like, I can come back in a couple weeks."

"No!" she cried, too quick, too forceful, too desperate, only causing herself further embarrassment. "I mean... No. It's fine. You don't... have to leave."

He bowed. "I apologize if I inconvenienced you in any way, Your Majesty."

She shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous," she said, a little disheartened that they were back to the formalities. "I, uh... Good to have you back," she said, nodding to him.

Elsa looked into his eyes, and was surprised to see no coldness in them, but rather earnestness. "Good to be back."

She sighed. "Come on, let's show you to your room so can settle in."

The corner of his lips twitched upward in a small smile. "So we're good then?"

She chuckled, concealing her mouth behind her hand. "Yeah. We're good."

—

It was late into the evening when Elsa heard an urgent knocking on her bedroom door.

"Who is it?"

More knocking and a muffled voice from the other side of the door. "It's me, Anna. Open up already!"

"Alright, alright."

Elsa got up from where she sat to let her younger sister in. As soon as she opened the door, Anna burst into the room.

"What is it?" asked Elsa.

"Check outside your window!" Her tone was urgent.

"What?" asked Elsa, brow furrowed in confusion.

She pushed at Elsa's back, forcing her over to the window. "Look! Prince Charming is throwing rocks at your windowsill."

"What, not he's not. And don't call him that!"

Just then she heard a sharp clink against the windowpane.

"What did I tell you?" said Anna. Elsa could practically hear the grin in her voice.

Another clink.

"Oh, shut up," she hissed. She opened the window, trying to ignore the sound of Anna's giggling.

Peering down, she could see the tall, dark figure of Hans standing far below, looking up at her from the castle courtyard.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down thy golden hair," he called out to her, his voice carrying despite the fact that it was low.

"I think you have the wrong princess," she called back to him, leaning out over the edge of the windowsill so that they could properly see each other.

"I know," he said, this time much louder. "Got your attention though, didn't I?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know," she replied tersely, "you could break something throwing rocks like that."

"They're pebbles!" He shouted, and she could have sworn she detected a hint of defensiveness. He held out a hand, showing them to her.

Despite her determination to remain unfazed by whatever he said, she stifled a laugh behind her hand. He cracked a grin.

She bit her lip, feeling unsure. She turned to look back at Anna. "What should I do?" she whispered.

"Go!" she insisted. "Get down there. Don't you want to?"

"What, no!" Anna gave her a look. "Maybe... Ok, yes," she admitted.

"Then go!" Elsa was surprised by exactly how forceful Anna's tone seemed to be.

"What? N-no, I can't do that!"

"Or you could invite him up here instead," mused Anna, smirk on her face. "I mean think about it. You two. Together. In your room. Alone."

"Anna!" She felt her ears burning.

She snickered. "Fine. But at the very least, for once will you do something impulsive! You're the queen of an entire country, working eight days a week. Do you want to spend your entire life attending boring council meetings or do you want to stroll in the moonlight with your P—your Not Prince Charming?" She was almost going to say it but she withered under the look Elsa gave her.

Elsa sighed. "Alright. But I'm not inviting him up here."

Anna smiled smugly. "Fair enough. Have fun."

Elsa rolled her eyes, pursing her lips. "You know, you've been reading too many fairy tales." Anna laughed.

"Queen Elsa?" She heard Hans' voice again from outside.

She leaned out the window again. "Shhhh! Just give me a second." She took a deep breath. "And you might want to stand back."

She waved her hand, conjuring up a staircase of snow from the window down to the courtyard. She climbed out through the window. The snow froze beneath her feet, quickly spreading along the entire staircase.

She smiled awkwardly at him from the foot of the staircase. "Hi."

His gaze lingered upon her for a moment. Her cheeks flushed pink. He smiled back. "Hi."

"So... Where to?"

"I... Actually, I don't know," he admitted. "I must confess that I didn't actually think this would work."

She snorted, shaking her head. "So no plans?"

"No, not really."

"We could go for a walk," she offered, folding her arms. The air surrounding her was growing chilly, and she could see the barest traces of ice beginning to form around where she stood. "Besides, now that you're here in person, you can share those stories I've been wanting to hear for so long." It came out more like a question than a statement. Her breath became forming clouds of fog.

"Uh, sure! If that's what the lady wants."

"How are you even real? You're killing me with kindness, you do know that, right? I mean, you're not even upset about... earlier today."

He shrugged. "Don't know the context. Figured there's an explanation and that you'd tell me at one point or another if you wanted me to know."

She groaned. "You are a strangely reasonable person."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"For me, yes."

"I just figured it'd be nice for you to have one less person in your life who's constantly making demands of you."

She said nothing, contemplating over in her mind the words he had just said.

He made the slight bow. "The night belongs to you, Your Highness."

"I think... just 'Elsa' would be fine from now on." She smiled warmly, and the ice around her melted.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you enjoyed! The tension from the last chapter was solved rather quickly, sorry if that was a disappointment.


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